Knowing without seeing

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, right?

I am faithful...full of faith...that all is well with Nialle.
He's back in the hospital after a brief night at home. The reason? Pulmonary Embolism, or blood clots, in both lungs. They appeared yesterday, caused a lot of problems, a call to 911, and a trip back to the hospital in an ambulance.

Today, after a day on blood thinners, everything looks fine. Doppler scans, ultra sounds, other scans that involved inhaling radioactive air beforehand...but the clots are not causing any more problems, and have probably dissolved.

He's staying where he is till they can figure out what happened, or rather, why it happened. The incidence of blood clots post-op is very uncommon, especially in someone his age. The incidence of double embolisms is unheard of.

I believe he is going to stump them yet again. I believe he is going to continue to improve, have no further incidence of this disorder, ever. I believe he will live such a long and happy, healthy life that this will not be considered important because though we will remember it happened, we will never dwell on this chapter of his life, except to give thanks, in awe, for his healing.

Please continue to pray for this with me.

I have seen miracles happen in the last week. Answers to prayer when things looked very bleak.
I have been blessed beyond measure with abundant, practical acts of kindness (Lisa, Judi, Kathryn and Ving, Lana and Karyn and Nathanel!!! You are angels!)

Words, cards, hugs, and offers of help at every turn. The love shown to Nialle and Vanessa and Liam from those close to them, and from people who only know of them...it means so much.
It's a body at work, each of you are a part of this body, and the whole would not work without the individual parts. None of us are an island, and all of your support gives all of us more strength.

It's very comforting, and humbling, and all I can say is thank you. You are well loved.

On Sponges...

I read a quote that has me turned on my head. Saint Teresa of Avili said:

"It seemed to me there came the thought of how a sponge absorbs and is saturated with water; so, I thought, was my soul, which was overflowing with that divinity and in a certain way rejoicing within itself and possessing the three Persons. I also heard the words: “Don’t try to hold ME within yourself, but try to hold yourself within Me.”

This has me thinking...am I a sponge? Do I want to be a sponge...sometimes dry and empty, sometimes damp, sometimes overflowing and saturated? Or...do I want to be the water, soaking into the sponge that is God, soaked up and absorbed into Him?

Deeper...

Romans is full of big, meaty ideas. It needs to be slowly savored (you're so right about that Karyn). There's no room in it for making my own salvation. It's ALL Him!


Romans 1:16"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous shall live by faith".